| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Reminiscences of Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy: Kuzmínsky; the second was Mísha Islávin; the
third was Vyatcheslaf; the fourth was Seryózha Tolstoy, and
last of all came old Lyoff Tolstoy, senior, accompanied by Prince
Urúsof. The first visitor, Alexander Mikháilovitch,
caused Susóitchik no surprise, as he often paid
Susóitchik visits in obedience to the behests of his wife.
"What, has your wife sent you again?"
"Yes," replied the presiding judge of the district-court,
shyly, not knowing what explanation he could give of the cause of
his visit.
"You come here very often. What do you want?"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Old Maid by Honore de Balzac: news while collecting assistance for the chaste Suzanne!
At the present moment Athanase, leaning pensively on his elbow at the
breakfast table, was twirling his spoon in his empty cup and
contemplating with a preoccupied eye the poor room with its red brick
floor, its straw chairs, its painted wooden buffet, its pink and white
curtains chequered like a backgammon board, which communicated with
the kitchen through a glass door. As his back was to the chimney which
his mother faced, and as the chimney was opposite to the door, his
pallid face, strongly lighted from the window, framed in beautiful
black hair, the eyes gleaming with despair and fiery with morning
thoughts, was the first object which met the eyes of the incoming
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Pool in the Desert by Sara Jeanette Duncan: control of her heart by the hard labour of thought. When she rose,
she had decided that there were only two things for her to do, and
she began at once to do them, continuing her refuge in action. She
threw her little rooms open again, and walked methodically round the
outer one, collecting the odds and ends of Indian fabrics with which
she had garnished it.
As the maid came in, she looked up from folding them.
'I have news, Brookes,' she said, 'that necessitates my going home
at once. No, it is not bad news, but--important. I will go now and
see about the tonga. We must start tomorrow morning.'
Brookes called Surnoo, and the rickshaw came round.
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: altar upon one day.
And they say also that our Lord ne ate never meat; but he made
token of eating. And also they say, that we sin deadly in shaving
our beards, for the beard is token of a man, and gift of our Lord.
And they say that we sin deadly in eating of beasts that were
forbidden in the Old Testament, and of the old Law, as swine, hares
and other beasts, that chew not their cud. And they say that we
sin, when we eat flesh on the days before Ash Wednesday, and of
that that we eat flesh the Wednesday, and eggs and cheese upon the
Fridays. And they accurse all those that abstain them to eat flesh
the Saturday.
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